"Patching" holes in body palels.

[SanRafaelFaz]

Way back many years ago my boot was stolen and so the upholster guy I brought it to thought it would be a good idea to make a "custom" boot to cover the folded top. He punched a series of holes in the back (the narrow panel just forward of the trunk lid, don't know what it's called) and installed buttons like those on Brit cars. He made me a snap on boot, which has itself since been lost. So, in my up coming resto project, I'd like to patch or fill those holes. Can a thin piece of metal be welded over the holes and then feathered down so as to be nearly invisible? Or is this whole piece going t have to be replaced? FYI, I'm not planning on making this a "show car resto", just a nice looking driver.

[narfire]

I had the holes filled on my trunk after I removed the luggage rack. The way they did it was to put a piece of copper behind the hole and then weld/fill the hole. Weld did not stick to the copper. Ground it down and smoothed it off filled ect. and prime and paint and clearcoat and good to go.
Chris

[SanRafaelFaz]

Err, the heading should say PANELS...!

[SanRafaelFaz]

I had the holes filled on my trunk after I removed the luggage rack. The way they did it was to put a piece of copper behind the hole and then weld/fill the hole. Weld did not stick to the copper. Ground it down and smoothed it off filled ect. and prime and paint and clearcoat and good to go.
Chris

Great, good to know. Thanks!

[baltobernie]

Yes, you can remove the snaps and patch the holes. You'll probably have to remove the trunk lid to make this job a little easier, as that panel is welded in to the car and not removable.

Having said that, I'm going to suggest that you consider retaining these snaps, if you're going to employ another boot cover.

Here's why:
The replacement boot covers now being sold by the usual vendors flap like crazy at highway speeds. My brand-new $235 cover required these modifications: foam padding in the trapezoid corners, leather padding at the frame hinge point, reinforcing at the two hairpin attachment points, an eyelet in the center edge of the "drape" or "seatback" flap, which I secured with a small bungee, 1/2" x 12" fiberglass sail battens sewn into the sides, between the shoulder pad claw and the semicircle steel hook, AND ... five black snaps spaced equidistant along the rear of the cover. The male half is attached to the 1/2" rearmost lip of the convertible top by drilling and secured with #6 sheet metal screws. $100 labor at a saddlery and another $25 in parts.

So perhaps you'd be better off having a new one made to fit your existing hardware! BTW, these boot covers were originally provided at the port-of-entry, not by Pinninfarina.

[SanRafaelFaz]

Yes, you can remove the snaps and patch the holes. You'll probably have to remove the trunk lid to make this job a little easier, as that panel is welded in to the car and not removable.

Having said that, I'm going to suggest that you consider retaining these snaps, if you're going to employ another boot cover.

Here's why:
The replacement boot covers now being sold by the usual vendors flap like crazy at highway speeds. My brand-new $235 cover required these modifications: foam padding in the trapezoid corners, leather padding at the frame hinge point, reinforcing at the two hairpin attachment points, an eyelet in the center edge of the "drape" or "seatback" flap, which I secured with a small bungee, 1/2" x 12" fiberglass sail battens sewn into the sides, between the shoulder pad claw and the semicircle steel hook, AND ... five black snaps spaced equidistant along the rear of the cover. The male half is attached to the 1/2" rearmost lip of the convertible top by drilling and secured with #6 sheet metal screws. $100 labor at a saddlery and another $25 in parts.

So perhaps you'd be better off having a new one made to fit your existing hardware! BTW, these boot covers were originally provided at the port-of-entry, not by Pinninfarina.

That's a good idea. Come to think of it, a standard boot would completely cover the snaps. I could have mating snaps fitted to a replacement boot and kill two birds with one stone!
Thanks!

[Razooli]

@baltobernie
My boot is showing signs of wear and I read about your modifications with interest. At present, I just have some foam stuck under the boot where the frame protrudes and I just found a roll of Naugahyde from an old project which I would like to put on the inside to give some thickness over the "pointy places" on the frame. Would it be possible for you to take some pics of your boot so I can better understand the modifications you've performed?
Thanks.

[baltobernie]

Here you go:

The added bungee to keep the drape from flapping



A glue-on patch at the "knee" of the top frame



Fiberglass sail batten sewn in along the sides. Also some fiber fill added under the corner pads



Five snaps spaced equally along the back

[Razooli]

Thanks a lot, Bernie. Understand much better now ... (googling "sail batten" also helped).
Do you know what adhesive was used for the patches?

[baltobernie]

Contact cement

[Adam]

I brought my boot to a shoe maker how stiched in leather patches on the underside of wear spots and reattached the hairpin clips. I think it cost me $20.